How many times have you seen a try-scoring opportunity wasted because of a dropped ball or a poor pass?

Can you confidently say every one of your players can catch and draw a defender under pressure to exploit an overlap?

Simple errors are frustrating for coaches of all levels and I've seen players make them at all ages and all levels – from mini rugby to international standard.

The fruit of 22 years coaching at the highest level...

Players must master the basics to play the game well. And these basic core skills are not something that can ever be left to look after themselves. They must be practiced regularly for both forwards and backs.

My name's Damian McGrath and I've taught the country's top young talent in three forms of rugby – union, league and sevens.

My new coaching manual, Damian McGrath's Skills Games for Rugby, offers 50 of the most useful skills games I have used in 22 years of coaching.

Eliminate simple errors with this comprehensive manual

My Skills Games for Rugby is suitable for coaches of players at all levels and will equip them with the ability and understanding to perform crucial elements of the game when it really counts – under pressure on match day.

No Mistakes = No Progress

It is vital when practising that your players are tested to the full. They need to push themselves and you need to help them.

A player should never be left wondering whether he has the ability to throw a two-man miss pass on match day. You will have helped him realise that potential in training.

These games constantly challenge your players and offer them opportunities to improve. They must be given choices and forced to make the correct choice under pressure.

"Quality Underpins Success"

This phrase is fundamental to profitable training sessions.

My games encourage your players (and in many cases forces them) to play to their optimum level. This way their basic ability, confidence and, consequently, their overall performance will improve.

I have also given clear pointers with each game so you can be sure your players are getting the utmost benefit from each game.

After a short time you should see your players' game understanding and skill levels increase significantly.

It's on such small margins that matches are won and lost.

So why games?

Games are fast-becoming the preferred training method in many team sports, not just rugby.

And here's why. They are:

Competitive – tries are scored and points awarded. Players strive to beat each other and win.

Relevant – players practice under match conditions so you can recreate pressure situations in a game.

Easy to set up – you only need a ball and a few players to run a constructive training session

Active – even with lots of players, games keep everyone constantly active and prevent them getting bored.

Flexible – players take responsibility and are free to experiment, make mistakes and learn through experience. Games are suitable for players of all ages and standards.

Outcome focused – games concentrate on winning more matches, not on creating a team of "robots" who merely go through the motions of a drill.

Constantly changing – 50 different games means 50 different decisions to make, problems to solve and skills to use.

Energetic – games are a "sneaky" way of introducing fitness and footwork into your training regime

Teamwork focused – games foster team spirit, enforce team values and motivate the players in training

FUN! The best reason of all! Games are fun to participate in, watch and coach... no monotony and no referee is needed!

Players have nowhere to hide!

The small teams involved in each game ensure all players are constantly involved. There is nowhere to hide for the reluctant prop forward!

Damian McGrath

Who Am I?

I started my coaching career at Leeds Rhinos Academy teams. Later I combined this with coaching the Yorkshire Academy and the Great Britain Academy team.

When the Super League was formed I was made first team assistant coach at Leeds.

While coach we won the Challenge Cup and were runners-up in the first Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup final.

I was then appointed assistant Coach to the senior England team and took part in the 2000 World Cup.

I coached both the Great Britain U21s and the Super League U21s, before being invited in 2001 to be the RFU Skills/Defence coach with the England A team and the England sevens.

I combined my England sevens role with being 1st team skills Coach at Leicester Tigers. It was during this time that the sevens team made history by winning the Hong Kong Sevens three times in a row!

I then worked at the RFU as their National Academy Skills Coach, which involved reporting directly to World Cup winning coach Clive Woodward.

In 2008 I was appointed by the Huddersfield Giants to oversee all areas of the clubs youth development. A role I am still enjoying.

By replicating match situations you can isolate a situation in a game, such as a 2v1 overlap 10 metres from the try line, and focus on players' ability to score.

Situation specific training

Specific rules for each game allow you to focus even more on a certain area of the game. You can disallow rucks or mauls to encourage speed of play, or only allow rucks and mauls if you want your players to be able to cope in atrocious weather conditions that dictate a different style of play.

You will help your players understand the need to react to circumstances in the game... how to snatch victory, close out a game and so on.

Understanding through playing

By playing games, players will understand what will and what won't work in a match. They will also naturally find the best way to beat an opponent.

For example, your backs will realise running sideways ruins an overlap and forwards will see how drawing a man and passing is sometimes a better option than trying to run through them!

And they will pick up this knowledge instinctively through the games they play. Not by you bawling at them, which is so often ignored and can create resentment.

By confronting players with all the various situations they will face in a match, they will feel far more confident on the pitch and be able to execute the right decision more frequently.

Improve your players skills in every possible way

Better understanding, more confidence and increased skill levels... no wonder games are being used by all the top clubs across the globe.

And you can rest assured that the cutting-edge games in my coaching book will challenge and improve your players in every possible way.

My Skills Games for Rugby manual covers all the following skills:

Decision-making

Communication

Catching

Passing

Handling

Support

Running Lines

Vision

Game Sense

Defence

Kicking

These skills are presented along the side of each page in tabs so you can see which of these skills your players will learn in each game. This allows you to tailor a session exactly how you wish.

Free sample game!

I want you to see just how easy-to-use and effective my games are, so I'm offering you the game above to download right now for FREE!

Give it a go with your players and I'm confident you'll be rushing back from training to place your order.

I designed my Skills Games for Rugby with you, the coach, in mind. Each page follows the same format:

Introduction – A simple explanation of the type of game and the skills and techniques it focuses on.

Coaching notes – Ways to adapt and develop the game to suit your players, or to introduce the game into a session.

What you need for this game – A simple bullet point of equipment needed for the game.

Set up – Showing how you need to arrange equipment to run the game, including the suggested number of players and the size of the area.

Rules – Simple rules laid out to act as a reminder for each game.

What you do as coach – A simple step by step explanation of how each game works and how to run it in conjunction with the illustrations.

How you can progress the game – Ideas on how to advance the game so that players are still challenged, even when the game becomes familiar.

Game rating – The 'playing level'. Each game is categorised as Easy, Medium or Hard

Key – Allows you to differentiate between runs and passes, pitch markings and try lines in the illustrations.

Skill tabs – Each game contains at-a-glance tabs to the skills used in each game. This allows you to focus on particular skills that you feel your team need to work on.

Step by step illustrations – Clear 3D step-by-step illustrations with a double caption: the first explains exactly what is going on in the picture. The second explains what a coach should be saying or doing during the exercise.

Years of training sessions in one complete coaching manual...

These games can be used as part of a training session or can be used to structure a complete session.

You can use a few for a warm-up or just before a game to really focus your players' minds. They are incredibly flexible.

You have 50 games - enough for a whole season. And with minor alterations you can use these games again and again. Remember these are not drills. Players will not sigh when asked to perform one of these games again. They are fast moving and require speed of thought.

Available in PDF and as a hard copy report

You can order my Skills Games for Rugby today. It is available in two formats:

A spiral-bound book: This is extremely user-friendly. It has a plastic, weather-proof cover so can take it out onto the training pitch and follow the illustrations directly from the page. It's spiral bound so you can easily keep it open at the page you want, while pointing out to youngsters where they should be!

PDF version: Order the PDF version and you will be able to download your version almost instantly. You can also print it out and share with other coaches at your club (we do request that you do not share copies outside your immediate club or school).

Or, you can enjoy the best of both worlds! Order both and you receive a special discount. You could store the PDF version on your desktop in a coaching library and keep the other in your kit bag ready for next week's training session.

Without the essential skills at their disposal, your players will not be able to carry out the moves or adopt the style of play you want your team to achieve.

If you want your team to play a fast tempo game with lots of quick handling, it's pointless if a player cannot catch and pass properly. And believe me, I have seen teenagers enter top club academies without basic handling skills.

So it's in your own and your players interests to play skills games. And I'm sure you'll find the games in my Skills Games for Rugby challenge and motivate your players to improve and succeed on the pitch.

It's a manual to keep and return to for the whole of your coaching career.

Yours in rugby,

Damian McGrath

P.S. Remember, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. You are completely protected by my money back guarantee. This means if you are not satisfied with the Manual you can cancel your order within 30-days and claim all your money back.

Money Back Guarantee

Your purchase of Skills Games For Rugby comes with my ‘no questions asked' money-back guarantee, so your order is completely risk free.

In the unlikely event that you are not entirely satisfied with Skills Games For Rugby, simply let me know within 30 days and I will give you a full refund.

You have nothing to lose when you purchase Skills Games For Rugby today.